Falling in love with the girl next door
by Carebeark5
Summary: Emma and Patrick meet their new neighbor.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Patrick was exhausted the night before he had worked a double shift at the hospital. Since Emma was obsorbed in a Disney movie he figured he could take a quick nap before dinner. "Hey Em's daddy will be upstairs if you need anything ok."

"Alright daddy," the little girl said not even bothering to looking away from the screen.

An hour later he woke up and went downstairs to make them some dinner. "Are you hungry?" He called out as he came down the stairs. The tv was still on but his daughter was no where to be found. He went back upstairs to check her room. "Emma you in here?" But she wasn't in there either. He was a little worried now, where could she be. He went back downstairs and checked the kitchen and the bathroom with no sign of his daughter anywhere. "Emma are you hiding from daddy again?" He called out loudly. She wouldn't go outside would she, he checked the backyard and then went around to the front. "Emma!" He yelled.

"Over here daddy." She called from the porch next door. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw her sitting on a porch with a woman who he assumed was their new neighbor.

"Emma you were supposed to stay inside." He said walking over to them.

"I'm sorry daddy our new neighbor moved in and I wanted to say hi."

"Hi Mr. Drake my names Sabrina, Sabrina Santiago." The woman said standing up to shake his hand. She was shorter than him with wild curly brown hair that was braided down her back. After letting go of her hand she reached out to adjust her glasses.

"It's nice to meet you. You can call me Patrick."

"Sweetie next time you need to tell daddy where you're going. You can't leave without me ok." He said hugging her to him. "Promise me ok."

"I'm sorry daddy. I promise." She said sipping a small glass of lemonade.

"Would you like some lemonade?" Sabrina asked pointing to the glass pitcher beside her.

"Sure." He said taking a seat next to his daughter as she handed him a glass.

"So you just moved here?" He asked taking a sip.

"Yes from Chicago."

"What brings you to our small town?" He asked with a smile.

"I start work here next week."

Just then his phone rang, "Oh I need to take this." He said excusing himself to answer the call. It was the hospital they had an emergency and needed him to come in right away. "Alright Epiphany I'll be in soon." He made his way back to where his daughter and Sabrina were sitting. They were laughing about something. "Sorry about that, that was work I need to go in. I'm sorry I need to cut this short, it was nice to meet you Sabrina." He said shaking her hand once again. "If you need help moving in boxes or furniture later I'd be glad to help out."

"Thanks."

"Come on Em. I need to drop you off with your grandma for a few hours ok." He said walking down the steps and starting back across to their yard.

"But daddy can't I stay here with Sabrina?"

"Honey Sabrina seems really nice but she's just moved in and I'm sure she's really busy." He said bending down in front of his daughter. "Come on daddy needs to hurry."

"But.."

"Come on you can see Sabrina later when we come back home again ok."

"Alright. Bye Sabrina," the little girl said waving at their new neighbor.

"Bye Emma it was really nice to meet you. You too Patrick." She said with a smile.

She had just pulled into the driveway when a little girl had raced up to her car. She was the cutest little girl she had ever seen, with long brown hair pulled into pigtails. "Hi I'm Emma Drake." The little girl said with a smile as soon as she opened the door.

"Hi I'm Sabrina."

"I live next door with my daddy."

"Oh well it's nice to meet you. Would you like to sit on the porch with me so we can talk?"

"Ok." Emma said taking a seat on the top step.

"How old are you Emma?" Sabrina asked.

"I'm six but I'm gonna be seven soon."

"Oh are you going to have a big party?"

"Yeah daddy said I can have some friends over and a big cake."

"That sounds like fun. Hey Emma would you like something to drink, I was going to make some lemonade." Sabrina asked as she stood up from where she was sitting. She hadn't unpacked anything yet but she went to the car and grabbed the box labeled for the kitchen and brought it inside. She was planning on making some lemonade after unpacking but now seemed as good a time as any.

"Sure." Emma followed her into the house. The rooms were all empty but the walls had been painted prior to her moving in and the electricity and water had been turned on the week before. The house had been empty for a few years prior to her moving in.

"You don't have a couch or chairs." Emma said as she stood in the middle of the living room.

"Nope not yet I need to buy some furniture and unpack all my boxes to make this feel like home."

"Maybe I can help you."

"That's very nice of you." Sabrina said picking out some glasses and the pitcher she had packed in newspaper. She washed them out and then started making the lemonade. "Emma would you like to stir?" Sabrina asked lifting Emma up onto the counter so she could stir the water in with the lemon juice and sugar. "Your a very good little helper." Sabrina said with a smile as she helped Emma down again and poured them two glasses.

"Daddy says that all the time."

"Where is your daddy?" Sabrina asked her.

"He's sleeping. He works a lot."

"Oh does he know your outside?" She asked her as they went back out the porch.

"No but im with you so I'm with an adult." Emma said taking a sip.

She couldn't really argue with that logic. But she knew he might be wondering where she was if he woke up and his daughter was gone. So she kept an eye out for him next door.

"Where did you come from?" Emma asked moving closer to Sabrina's side.

"I moved here from Chicago."

"I've never been there."

"We'll maybe you'll go there one day."

Just then she heard a mans voice calling, "Is that your daddy?" Sabrina asked the little girl.

"I'm over here daddy." Emma replied just as he spotted them. He walked towards them his hair a little messy from his nap and she noticed that he was barefoot. After introducing herself to him she offered him something to drink and he sat down with them on the porch. She couldn't help but stare he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. He was the epitome of the phrase tall, dark and handsome. Whenever he caught her staring she would shyly look away. They talked for a few minutes before his phone interrupted and he excused himself to answer it.

"Sorry about that, that was work I need to go in. I'm sorry I need to cut this short, it was nice to meet you Sabrina." He said shaking her hand once again. "If you need help moving in boxes or furniture later I'd be glad to help out."

"Thanks." She answered as they walked across the lawn back to their house.

After they left she went to her car to start unpacking some things, she wanted to get the house ready this week so next week she would be all ready to start work at the hospital. She was finally going to be a nurse just like her mother had been and she couldn't wait to start.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next day Sabrina had headed to the store early to pick out some furniture. Most importantly a bed because she did not want to spend another night sleeping on the floor. She hardly got even a wink of sleep and had tossed and turned most of the night. She browsed the store wanting to make her home the way she had always imagined it would look when she got a place of her own. But she had never really had an eye for choosing what looked good together. Heading over the the beds she spotted a beautiful iron bed with a decorative head and footboard, it was perfect.

She picked out a few other pieces of furniture as well but they would be delivered in a few days. she had one of the sales associates help her get the bed out to her car. It was too big to fit in the trunk so they laid it across the back seat. It was in pieces and would need to be put together later but she thought she could follow some simple instructions and do it herself.

Pulling into the driveway she hoped she would be able to get the box into the house. It looked pretty heavy but she managed to pull it off the backseat and it fell with a heavy thump onto the driveway. It took a lot of effort to half lift, half drag the box down the driveway to the front door. Making it up the steps seemed like an impossible feat though. She was huffing and puffing about halfway to the front door. Not to mention the fact that as she took another step she tripped and almost dropped the box again."Here let me help you with that," Patrick said rushing to help her.

"Oh thank you. I was beginning to think I wouldn't make it," she said with a laugh as he effortlessly lifted one side of the box and helped her get it up the front steps. They leaned it against the post as she unlocked the front door,  
"What's in here anyways?" He asked as they lifted the heavy box again and slowly moved through the doorway.

"My bed. I guess I should have had someone deliver it but I thought I could manage."

"It's alright we got this," he said as they moved through the living room. Between the two of them they managed to get the bed upstairs and into the room she had claimed as her bedroom when she had first looked at the house. "Do you need help putting it together?" He asked.

"Oh I don't wanna ruin your plans for the evening," she said knowing it could take a while to get everything together.

"I don't have any plans for today. Emma's staying at a friends house tonight so I have the time."

She looked at him and smiled, "We'll if your sure I would love the help."

They opened the box and laid out all the pieces. Sabrina was looking through the instructions trying to figure out what went where but Patrick had already started. "Don't you need to look at the instructions." She asked waving the paper.

"Naw, I got this." He said picking up the iron headboard and the screwdriver he had to run next door to get. She couldn't help but watch him as he bent down to pick up another piece and went back to the task at hand. His sleeves were rolled up to the elbow showing off his muscular forearms which were covered in a smattering of hair.

"Sabrina? Earth to Sabrina," he said with a laugh as he waved a hand in front of her face.

"Oh sorry what were you saying." She asked snapping out of her reverie.

"Where did you go just now?" He asked getting up from where he was kneeling on the floor.

"Oh uh..."She struggled with what to say, she couldn't very well tell him the truth. That she had been ogling him. But before she could think of anything her stomach let out a loud growl.

"Hungry?" He asked with a laugh.

"Starving." She said glad for the interruption.

"Ya me too I haven't eaten anything since early this morning."

"We'll the least I can do for all your help is to buy you a pizza. What toppings would you like?"

"Mushrooms, peppers, pepperoni and extra cheese."

"Really me too."

"I know just the place to order from," he said taking out his cell phone.

"Oh perfect. I'm sorry we don't really have a place to sit." She had unpacked a few things but the furniture hadn't come yet.

"It's fine we can sit on the floor."

"Are you sure?"

"Emma and I sit on the floor to eat a lot. She calls it indoor picnics."

She went to one of the boxes and pulled out a blanket laying in on the floor in the living room. "There now it really is a picnic." They sat together on the blanket as they waited for the pizza to be delivered.

"So what do you think of Port Charles so far?" He asked her.

"It seems like a nice town, although I don't really know anyone here yet."

"You will soon enough. Here everyone knows everyone else's business, and since your new here people will wonder about the new girl in town."

She laughed, "Well there isn't much to know about this new girl." She said adjusting her glasses.

"I bet there's a lot to uncover about you." He said just as the doorbell rang.

"Ooh pizza's here." She exclaimed getting up from her spot to answer the door. She was saved once again from having to think up a response. Getting the door also managed to hide the redness creeping into her face at his comment. She knew he probably meant nothing by it but she couldn't help but wish that he would want to be the one to uncover her inner secrets.

He watched as she crossed the room and opened the door fishing the cash out of her purse to pay the pizza boy. He couldn't help but wonder just what he inner secrets she had.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The next morning as he was waiting for Emma to finish her breakfast he sat down in the living room to read the paper with his cup of coffee. He heard the sound of a door slamming shut and then a car pulling out of the driveway and he wondered where she was going in such a hurry. The day before when he helped her with the bed they talked for quite a while as they ate. She seemed really nice and Emma hadn't stopped talking about her since the met.

"Em's you ready?" He called as she put her bowl in the sink and came into the living room.

"Yes daddy." She said as he picked up her backpack and they headed out the door.

Once he dropped her off at school he stepped off the elevator at GH. He stopped by the Nurses Desk to see what he had going in for the day before heading to the locker room to change into his scrubs. As he was walking back out he nearly collided with another person who had just rounded the corner. "Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry." He said turning to glance at the person.

"Patrick!" Sabrina said surprised to see someone she recognized on her first day.

"Sabrina, I didnt know you worked here?"

"I just started today actually."

"Well welcome to GH." He told her with a smile.

While Sabrina was doing her rounds she stopped by the nurses desk to pick up another chart when she saw a woman carry Emma into the hospital. "Emma what happened?" Sabrina said going over to them.

"I fell off the swing." Emma cried holding her arm against her chest.

"I think she might have sprained or broke her arm." The woman told her. "I'm one of the teaching assistants."

"Alright we'll take a look at it ok Emma, well make you feel all better." She told Emma as they headed for one of the rooms.

"Is her father here?"

"Yes but he's in surgery at the moment." Sabrina told her as she placed Emma on the bed.

"I have to get back to the school but I don't want to leave Emma with just anyone."

"You can leave her with me, I know Dr. Drake he's my next door neighbor."

"Oh ok. Emma is that alright."

"Yes Ms. Singer."

When the woman left Sabrina looked at Emma, "Alright sweetie were gonna get you down to have an x ray done, ok."

"Will it hurt?"

"No it won't hurt at all. It's just going to take a picture so we can see if you have any broken bones."

"Ok."

"Alright that wasn't so bad was it." Sabrina said as she helped Emma off the table when the x ray was finished.

"Nope," Emma said shaking her head.

"Alright let's take a look." She said holding up the X-ray into the light. "It looks like its just a sprain."

"What's that mean?"

"That means its not broken. Well just put on this elastic bandage here to help it as it heals." Sabrina told her as she showed it to her. She wrapped it around her wrist, "See that's it. Now you just need to rest it and it will be better in a few days."

"Thanks Sabrina."

"How about we get some ice cream from the cafeteria while we wait for your daddy?"

"Really?"

"Yes really, come on." She said taking her other hand as they walked down the hall.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sabrina texted Patrick on the way to the cafeteria so he would know that Emma was with her when he finished in the operating room. "Alright sweetie what flavor are you in the mood for?"

"Chocolate!" Emma said excitedly.

"Of course, we'll take two." Sabrina said as they were each handed a cone.

"Thank you for taking care of me, Sabrina." Emma said as they sat down at an empty table.

"Oh sweetie it's my pleasure. I love spending time with you." She told the little girl just as Patrick walked in.

"Hey I got your message. What happened Princess?" He asked kneeling down beside her.

"I fell of the swing and hurt my arm but Sabrina fixed it."

He looked over at Sabrina with a smile, "Oh she did, did she?" He said as he decided to join them for some ice cream before getting back to work. Sabrina couldn't help but feel a little nervous around him, actually she was usually nervous around all guys. But Patrick was, well he was so different from other guys she had met or dated in the past. Not that they were dating or anything because there was no way he could see her like that, guys like that just didn't tend to notice her.

Emma brought her out of her thoughts when she turned to her dad and said, "She took me down for X-rays and stayed with me and then we got ice cream."

"Well thank you Sabrina. I'm glad you were there when they brought her in."

"Oh it's no problem."

"Daddy we should do something for her." Emma said finishing up her cone.

"Like what baby?"

"Maybe she can come over for dinner?"

"Oh you don't have to do anything. I was happy to help." Sabrina told them.

"No we insist you should come over for dinner. It can also be a welcome to Port Charles." Patrick said.

"Well alright."

"Can we play while your at my house?" Emma asked her.

"Of course we can sweetie." Sabrina told her with a smile. How anyone could turn down that request she had no idea.

"I got a new princess game maybe we can play that."

"That sounds fun."

That night Sabrina showed up on their doorstep at the time they discussed with some cupcakes she had made earlier. "Sabrina your here!" Emma said excitedly when she opened the door and saw her standing there fidgeting nervously. "Come on," she said grabbing her hand and leading her inside where she had already set up the game.

"Hi Sabrina," Patrick said as he entered the living room from the sliding door that led t the backyard.

"Thanks for inviting me. I um... I brought some cupcakes." She said handing the container to him.

"These look great."

"We love cupcakes," Emma said looking up from where she was seated on the floor waiting to play the game with Sabrina.

"So how do you play this?" She asked Emma as she sat on the floor across from her cross legged.

After Emma explained how the game went they played a few rounds before Patrick stepped back through the sliding glass doors and told them dinner was ready. "I thought we could eat outside." He said as they followed him into the backyard where the picnic table was set for the three of the. "I BBQ'd some hot dogs and hamburgers. It's about the only way I can cook." He said with a laugh.

"Daddy's not that good at cooking." Emma said as he placed a hotdog on her plate.

"Oh I love to cook when I have the time." Sabrina said as she scooped some potato salad onto her plate. "So how did your surgery go today?" She asked trying to make conversation.

"Oh it was very successful actually. A little girl with seizures, we stimulated the brain and located the part that was causing the seizure activity. So far she's been seizure free."

"Wow that's great."

"What's a seizure?" Emma asked.

"Oh sweetie it's something that happens to a person when their brain loses control of their body." Sabrina told her.

"They can shake or cry out and it might seem scary if you see it happen." Patrick chimed in.

"It's like a thunderstorm in your brain and it happens so fast. But if you ever see someone having one you need to tell someone so they can get help."

"So they go to the hospital and you help them?" Emma asked.

"Yes that's exactly right."

After dinner they headed back into the house with their plates. "Want some help?" She asked as he took the plates from her?

"Nope is got it your a guest." He said as he stacked then in the dishwasher before joining her and Emma in the other room with three plates. "Who wants cupcakes?"

"Me!" Emma said as he placed it on the plate and handed one to her and one to Sabrina.

Emma bit into hers right away, "Yum these are good."

"Wow these are good, what's in here?" He asked savoring the taste.

"The filling is chocolate espresso and it has a buttercream frosting."

"Wow!"

Patrick looked over at her as she took a bite of hers, "You got some frosting right here?" He said laughing as he wiped it off of her nose.


	5. Chapter 5

Sabrina slept in a little later than usual, just because she could. She had nowhere she needed to be today and she wanted to take advantage. Unfortunately she couldn't sleep any longer since the sun was beating down on her from the window above her bed. She reminded herself to get some blinds to block out the light as she slipped her feet into her fuzzy slippers and padded down the hall to the kitchen.

She turned on the coffee pot and waited for it to brew but when she glanced up she realized from this spot she could see into the kitchen of the house next door, Patrick's house. There he stood directly in her line of sight bare chested. As he stretched she could see the ripple of his muscle, she tried to not stare but it was as if she couldn't look away.

He must have felt her gaze on him because he looked up and their eyes met. She looked away embarrassed that she had been caught and she knew her face must be a bright shade of crimson. When she finally allowed herself to look back to see if he was still watching her he gave a little wave. She adjusted her glasses nervously and waved back shyly before turning away to concentrate on the coffee all the whole scolding herself for getting caught out.

Since she had moved to Port Charles, even before that she knew she wanted a dog. She had wanted one when she was little but her Aunt and Uncle would never allow that. Now that she had her own place with a big backyard for a dog to run in, it felt like the perfect time. Of course with her job she had been worried about leaving the dog at home for long periods of time. But she planned in coming home on her breaks and lunch hour to let the dog out or take it for a walk. And if she needed it there was always the dog daycare she heard about.

Deciding to go take a look at some dogs today she grabbed her things and headed out to her car. Unfortunately her car refused to start and she had no idea what was wrong with it. She sighed impatiently but decided to try one more time. "Please work, please work." She said out loud as she turned the key in the ignition. It made a sputtering sound before stopping once again. She dropped her head onto the steering wheel, "Why now?" This was the last thing she needed right now and it would probably cost a fortune to fix whatever the problem was. Just then she heard a knock on her window and looked up to see Patrick standing there. "Oh my god what am I gonna say to him. Sorry I was staring at you this morning like some creep?" She thought to herself as she rolled down the window.

"Need some help?" He said with a smile.

"Yes, please." She said opening the door and accidentally hitting him with it. "Oh my god I'm so sorry. Did I hurt you?" She said embarrassed.

"No, no I'm fine." He said backing up a little as she got out of the car.

"I feel like such an idiot." She told him again as he leaned into the car and popped the hood.

He turned and smiled at her, "It was an accident Sabrina, it's all good. No harm, no foul." He said to make her feel better. He didn't know why but she was incredibly nervous around him but he had to admit it was kinda cute.

"God I'm such a doofus why am I so nervous around him? He's just a guy." She thought to herself.

"Daddy!" Emma yelled as she came out the front door and looked around for him.

"Over here Princess."

Emma raced over and stopped in front of Sabrina, "Hi Sabrina."

"Hey sweetie how are you today?"

"Good, what are you doing daddy?"

"Sabrina's car won't start." He told her as he located the problem. "Well I found the problem, when you tried to start it before I heard a banging sound and I think its coming from your engine. I don't think its something I can fix, you may have to have it looked at."

"Great. Well thanks anyway." Sabrina said as he shut the hood.

"We're you going somewhere important? Cause we can give you a ride."

"Ya daddy we can take her," Emma chimed in.

"Oh it wasn't important I was just going to look at some puppies."

"Your getting a puppy?" Emma asked excitedly.

"I was thinking about it. Hey maybe you can help me pick one out?" She said bending down to talk to her. "Well as soon as my cars fixed."

"Don't be silly it's my day off, we can take you."

"Oh I don't want to interrupt your plans."

"Your not. Come on we insist, right Emma."

"Right daddy." Emma said so excited about going to look at puppies she practically skipped across the grass to their car.

"Well someone's excited," he said as they followed. "She's always wanted a dog."

"Why didn't you get one?" she asked as he unlocked the door for her.

"With my busy schedule and with my wife gone I didn't have anyone to help with it." Patrick admitted as they headed for the rescue shelter.

"Oh I'm sorry." She had heard about his wife from other Nurse's at the hospital but this was the first time he had mentioned her.

When they got to the shelter they were led into the back by a volunteer. Cages lined the long hallway and each one had a dog in it. "Wow look at all the doggies." Emma said running from one side to the other to look at each one. Dogs were barking and jumping up on their cages to be noticed, Emma tried to reach into one of the cages, "Emma sweetie be careful you don't know if they might bite." Patrick said as he went to stand beside her.

There were all different breeds in various sizes. Sabrina looked into the first cage where a huge rottweiler barked loudly, "Sabrina look at this one." Emma said pointing to a small Chihuahua that was cowering in the corner. Emma insisted they check out each dog to see which one Sabrina should pick but they were instantly hooked when they came to the last cage at the end of the hallway. Inside was a white dog it's tail wagging when they stopped in front of it's cage. Sabrina read the tag on the cage that claimed the dog was female, 10 weeks old and a Wheaten terrier/labradoodle mix. "I like this one." Emma said as the dogs tongue came though the bars trying to lick her.


	6. Chapter 6

"Do you think I should get this one Emma?" Sabrina asked the little girl.

"Yes I like her." Emma said.

The owner of the shelter let them take the puppy outside to the training area to play with her and see if she was a good match for them. "The puppy just came to us last week when a family's dog had puppies and they couldn't afford to keep all of them."

"Is this breed good with kids?" Sabrina asked just as Emma started chasing the puppy around the yard.

"Yes they are very gentle and playful, great for kids."

"She seems to be great with Emma." Sabrina said with a laugh as Emma bent down and the puppy licked her face.

"I think you've found the perfect dog for your family." The lady said smiling at them.

"Oh we aren't a family they are my neighbors." Sabrina explained to the lady.

"Oh well you would make a cute family." The lady said leaning in so only Sabrina could hear her. She blushed at her comment.

"Well I think I'll take her." Sabrina said as she bent down to pet the puppy who also jumped up and licked her face.

"Great, we will need you to fill out some paperwork to start the adoption process. There will be a wait of a few days for us to go over the paperwork and make sure she has all the necessary shots before she can go to her forever home."

"We don't get to take her home with us?" Emma asked not wanting to leave without the puppy.

"Not today baby but don't worry you'll see her again soon." Patrick said taking Emma's hand.

"It's just a few days sweetie and when I come pick her up you can come with me if its alright with your daddy."

"Of course it is."

On the ride home Emma suggested a bunch of names for the puppy and Sabrina had to laugh at a few of them. But she already knew exactly what she wanted to name the dog and couldn't wait until she could go pick her up. She was probably just as excited as Emma was.

Almost a week later Sabrina got the call telling her she could come pick up the puppy because it was officially hers. She couldn't wait to tell Emma the news so when she saw Emma get off the bus that day she walked over to tell them.

"Hi Sabrina." Emma said hiking her backpack up onto her shoulder as she walked up the driveway.

"Hey Emma guess what?"

"What?"

"The puppy can come home today." Sabrina said as Patrick came outside.

"Really? Daddy the puppy can come home now, can we go get her?" She asked excitedly.

"Sure we can, go put your stuff in the house first ok." He told her as he turned to look at Sabrina.

"She has been so excited she hasn't stopped talking about the puppy since we saw her." Patrick said as Emma raced back out of the house.

"I'm ready to go daddy."

Sabrina had already gone to the pet store and got some things for the puppy so now all they needed to do was get her and today was the day. The lady was waiting for them when they came in, "She's all ready to go home, Ms Santiago."

"Hi," she said bending down to greet the excited puppy along with Emma. "Did you think of a name for her?" Emma asked petting the dog.

"Yes I sure did. I was thinking of calling her Shelby." Sabrina said as she pulled out the leash and collar she had bought the other day. She already had the name printed on the tag on the collar.

"I like that name." Emma said as Sabrina tried to put the collar on the puppy who was hopping around and squirming excitedly. With Patrick's help she finally managed to get the collar and leash on and they headed out to the car.

"Can she sit in the back with me?" Emma asked.

"Sure but you'll need to hold her in your lap ok so she doesn't fall off the seat." Sabrina explained as Emma climbed in and did up her seatbelt waiting for Sabrina to hand her the puppy.

"So what made you come up with the name Shelby?" Patrick asked as they pulled out onto the road.

"Promise you won't laugh?" She asked him glancing over to look at him.

"Why would I laugh?" He asked glancing over at her before looking back at the road.

"It's the name of Superman's dog." Sabrina told him.

"Seriously?" He asked and started to laugh.

"You said you wouldn't laugh."

"I never said no such thing. So are you a big superman fan?"

"I am, I always have been." She answered gently hitting his shoulder.

"Careful I'm driving." He said with a smile.

When they got home they found both Emma and the puppy fast asleep in the backseat. "Looks like they were so excited they crashed." Patrick said.

"That's just the cutest thing ever." Sabrina said as they just stood there for a minute taking it all in.


	7. Chapter 7

"How about we carry them both inside until they wake up and then they can play together for a little while." He suggested.

"Sounds good." She said as she went to unlock the door before grabbing the puppy while he carried Emma inside and laid her on the couch. Sabrina settled the puppy in beside the little girl and they quietly headed for the kitchen so they wouldn't wake her.

"Would you like something to drink?" She asked taking a mug out of the cupboard.

"Sure I'll have whatever your having." Patrick sat down at the island as she started to boil water for hot chocolate.

"Hot chocolate ok?" She asked.

"Yeah that's fine. Hey how about we go sit out on the porch so we don't wake Emma."

"Sure I love to sit out there here in the early mornings, like I did yesterday. I don't know what it is everything just seems so much calmer." She said as they sat in chairs opposite each other.

It was getting cloudy out but the weather was nice, "Looks like it might rain later." Patrick said looking out across the yard. "Robin uses to love days like this."

Sabrina knew nothing she could say would be enough in this situation so she just listened. If he wanted to say anymore on the subject he would when he was ready. She already knew what had happened to his wife from a few co-workers but he himself had never really talked about it. He never really mentioned his wife at all and she knew it must be hard for him.

She smiled when he mentioned that Robin used to go out and stand in the rain, "No matter how many times I told her to come in the house and that she would catch a cold she would stand out there with her arms up in the air and a stupid grin on her face."

"She sounds like an amazing woman." Looking at him over the rim of her mug.

"She was and in some ways you remind me a lot of her."

"I do?" Sabrina wasn't sure of that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"The way you are with Emma, your love of life and how you meet each day with a smile."

"I wish I could have met her."

"Me too."

"Daddy! Sabrina! Emma yelled from the living room followed by a yelp.

"Looks like someone up." Patrick said with a laugh as they went inside. Emma was already sitting on the floor playing with the puppy who was practically hopping around the floor.

"Shelby loves me."

"She sure does." Sabrina said sitting on the floor beside her and playing with the little girls hair.

Patrick just stood and watched them together, they all laughed when the puppy jumped and licked Emma's face. He joined them on the floor as Sabrina lay down on her stomach and the puppy tried to jump over her. Emma giggled as she rolled around the floor and the puppy followed her.

They played for a few hours before Patrick told Emma it was time to go. "But daddy I wanna stay here with Shelby and Sabrina."

"I know you do sweetheart but you can come see them tomorrow after school."

"Your daddy's right your welcome to come over anytime to see Shelby, alright?"

The little girl smiled and ran over to hug Sabrina. "I'll come over tomorrow then after school."


End file.
